Pin sorter and dispenser



June 30, 1931. R. STROBEL PIN SORTER AND DISPENSER Filed June 10. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 30, 1931. s o 1,812,501

1 PIN SORTIER AND DISPENSER Filed June 10. 1929 2 Sheets-Shut 2 Patented June 30, 1931 PATENT OFFICE FERDINAND R. STROBEL, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA rm son'rnn AND DISPENSER Application filed .Tune 10,

The object of the invention is to provide an improved pin sorter and dispenser, which is particularly designed for use by those engaged in the millinery, suit, dress and coat industries, laundries, etc.

In such work, pins are used in very large quantities, and heretofore the Workers have had to select'them from heterogeneous assortments with consequent sticking of the fingers, or to pick them up from a relatively smooth surface with consequent loss of time as well as particular difliculty if ones nails are short.

An object therefore has been to provide a device having a compartment into which a large number of pins may be placed in an irregular mass, while from said compartment lead channels through which the pins are adapted to pass as the device is momentarily tilted, thereby giving a predetermined direction to the pins above and in alignment with slots through which their pointed end portions fall, so that they are suspended by their heads, there being at the end of each slot a terminal depression or recess capable of holding but one pin, so that as the device is returned to its normal position all but the forward pin in each slot gravitate rearwardly into spaced relation with the separated pin, after which said last-mentioned pin may be manually withdrawn against the slight opposition of a yieldingly positioned restraining means, the term pin being used in its broadest sense as comprising any article having a head and a shank, either blunt or pointed. e

In addition to the foregoing objects thus broadly stated, the invention comprises further objects and details of construction, which are hereinafter fully brought out in thefollowing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, with its cover removed; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-8 of Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary portion of Fig. 3; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the device; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the dispensing portion of the device with 1929. Serial No. 369,875.

the adjacent end portion of the cover removed; Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section on the line 66 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a modification of the discharge end of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a pedestal having a shank 1, supported by a base 2 and terminating upwardly in a yoke which comprises a pair of upwardly extend ing parallel arms 3, having aligned apertures 41 in their upper end portion which form journals for trunnions 5 of any suitable character carried by the sorting device itself, said yoke arms being reinforced with respect to said pedestal by means of suitably arranged webs 6, while upon the upper portion of said pedestal between said arms is positioned any suitable form of rubber or similar bumper 7, for a purpose hereinafter described. The sorter proper comprises a casing having a bottom wall 8, terminating rearwardly in an upwardly extending wall 9, while the rear portion of the space above said bottom wall is limited laterally by upwardly extending side walls 10 which support the respective trunnions 5, and which forwardly of said trunnions are cut away in a diagonal plane 11, so that the relatively shallow space above the forward portion 8 0f the bottom wall 8 is limited laterally by relatively shallow walls or flanges 12;

The forward portion 8' of said bottom wall (see Figs. 2 and 3) is of greater thickness than that of the rear portion 8 and is pierced by longitudinally extending transversely spaced slots 13, the rear end portions of said slots terminating in a diagonal line 1 1, so that pins 15 supported by their heads 16 normally extend downwardly through said slots in a vertical direction, as shown in Fig. 1, when the device is in its normal position. The forward portion 8 of the bottom wall section 8 is provided with slots 17 in alignment with the respective slots 13, commencing inwardly from the outer free end portion of said bottom, wall at the upper level thereof, and increasing in depth as they extend longitudinally outwardly, said lastnamed slots being of sufficient width to rethe bottom wall 8 need not be covered, it has been found preferable to provide an angular cover comprising a slanting section 19, se-

cured to and in the plane of the diagonally extending forward edge portions 11 of the walls 10, anda forward section 20 which lies fiat upon the forward lateral wall sections 12, said forward section merging into a downwardly and slightly rearwardly bent end portion 21 which surrounds the forward surface of the transverse bar 1 8 and extends downwardly past the slots 17 to a lower edge which is'coincident with an angular shelf or lip 22. To the outer surface of the forward portion 21 of said cover is pivotally secured in any suitable manner a spring-pressed door 23 or other suitable form of retaining member, which member terminates downwardly in a forwardly'extending flange 2&1, which serves to transversely stiffenv said member which 7 in thefirst place is preferably formed ofrel atively very light-weight sheet metal.

' It should'be also noted that the cover portion 21 is provided with slots '25 of substantially the same width and in alignmentwith the slots 17, so that after a pin has passed beneath the transverse bar 18, it is free to fall longitudinally through the communicating slot 25 in'said cover until it rests upon the lip 22 to the rear ofthe retaining member '23. After the device has been tilted into the dotted position shown in Fig. 1, in order that the pins may slide forwardly through the slot 13, and until the forward pin in" each slot has fallen into the position 16' shown in 3,the weight of the rear portion of the device with its contentscauses the return of the device to the full line position shown in Fig. 1, and thus by gravity returns all but the leading pin 16 into positions adjacent to the relatively slanting terminal end por-.

tion 14- of the several slots 13. As the device returns to this'normal position-its movement is gently arrested by engagement of the bottom wall 8 with the rubber bumper 7, but even this causes a jolt which frequently tends to make the'forward pin 16 jump upwardlybut its head is prevented from returning to the slot 17 due to the positionof the transverse bar 18, so that after the initial jolt, this leading pin drops naturally into "a vertical position of rest supported by the lip 22, from which it may be readily drawn manually against only the mild tension of the spring-pressed retaining member 23.'

While the-foregoing describesthe way a pinis extracted from the device, it is necessary to go intofurther detail as tohow the pins are sorted from the relatively irregular or heterogeneous mass in the rear portion of the device. For this purpose there arise from the bottom wall sections 8 and 8 transversely spaced integral ribs 26 which extend upwardly into engagement with the under surface of the forward cover section 20 and terminate forwardly at different distances 2'? and 28 from the front, as shown in Fig. 2-, the distance of the forwardmost rib terminal 27 from the bar 18 and the distance between the rib terminals 27 and 28 being so measured and 'desi-gnedas-to prevent the possibility otherwise of a. pin being caught between two points of the elements mentioned,which would prevent its return to the rear portion of the-"device when the latter is in its normal position. It will also be noted that a portion ofeach of the ribs 26 swells laterally at 29 so that throughout its swollen portion each of said ribsis'to a certain extent frusto-conical (see Figs. 5 an'd6) ,the widened base portions of adjacent-ribs being spaced apart a'distanc'e which ispreferably slightly greater than the diametric measurement of the head of a pin, or slightly greater than the width ofthe slots 17 andit will al'sobe noted that the slots 13 are centrally aligned with and have their rear end portionspositioned between said widened portions 29-ofjtheribs 26.

erally outermost slots 13 a slanting wall portion 29 extends from the-surface ofthe bottom wall sections 8 and '8 to the wall sections 10 and 12. It should also be noted that the forward portion of'the wall-sections 8 and 8"between the slots 13'is cut out orconcavely depressed at '30, so that pins which have not entered said slots upon the forward portion of the'devi'cebeing depressed, gravitate laterally towards the opposite sides of said respective slots in order that they will neither clog the slots nor'interrupt the free rearward movement of the pins which have fallen into and extend through said slots.

In the operation of this: device, as it istilted into its dotand-dash position themass of pins ,withinthe rearportion of the device gravitate toward the slanting cover section 19 which arrests their forward movement, exa

cept that some of the pins more closely adjacent to the bottom wall 8 are engaged by the rear portions of the ribs 26 and are disen-.

tangled from the mass so. that they are at first directed 'into separate channels. As these disengaged pins gravitate forwardly they encounter the oppositely positioned slanting. walls 29' and progresssthrough a relatively re-' unable to pass therethrough and'serveto sup- -t On thelaterally opposite sides ofthe'latport them in suspended relation, as shown in the do-t-and-dash position in Fig. 1.

Several of these pins thus suspended through said slots may pass into the widened slot portions 17 but only the foremost pins 16 are permitted to drop 'upon the lip 22, as the thickness of the cover slots 25 is sufficient to accommodate only a single pin in each case. As the device returns to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, the several suspended pins, other than the pins 16', gravitate rearwardly until their movement is ar rested by the slot ends 14. All pins which have failed in the depressed position to enter the slots, naturally gravitate into the concave recesses 30 therebetween and as the device returns to its normal position, they gravitate rearwardly, and upon encountering the forward portions 27 and 28 of the ribs 26 are divided into the respective grooves between said ribs, passing therethrough' until they reach the rear portion of the device, but even then remain in such positions that they are readily separated and longitudinally directed in parallel relation by the ribs 26, when the device is again depressed. Having performed this cycle of movements, the pins 16 are withdrawn manually as hereinbefore described, and the device is again depressed in order to separate a further set of pins from their companions. It will be also noted that the rear ends 14 of the slots 13 are forward of the plane of the rear cover section 19, in order to prevent pins from passing longitudinally into the slots without first approaching the same in a horizontal position, the result being that the maximum extent to which a slot can be filled is always less than the length of said slot by the length of a pin.

Fig. 7 represents a structure in which the bottom wall 35 is provided with one or more slots 36, of a width adapted to pass the shank only of a pin, but terminating in a transversely enlarged portion 37 which permits the head of the pin to drop upon a pair of leaf-springs or the like 38, which are separated a distance equal to the width of the slot 36. A cover 39 has a depending terminal flange 40 to arrest the forward movement of said pins, but the single forward pin 16 can be manually withdrawn at any time by pulling the same slightly downwardly and forwardly against only the tension of the springs 38.

In perfecting this device, the actual dimensions as well as the essential features of the same have been very carefully worked out in order that few, if any, pins under any imaginable condition will clog the device or otherwise prevent it from performing its normal function. However, aside from the exact details as they have hereinbefore been described, and as they are illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that they no doubt represent other arrangements by which the broad conception of the function of the device can be efliciently carried out, and it is in this light that the appended claims are to be interpreted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A pin sorter, comprising a container having a bottom wall and adapted to be tilted into an abnormal position, longitudinally extending slots in said wall, slanting surfaces upon the opposite sides of and operative to direct pins into said slot, and means bridging the forward portion of said slot to arrest the forward movement of pins above said slot, and the upper forward portion of said slot sloping beneath said means and being widened to permit the heads of pins in said slot to pass freely beneath said means.

2. A pin sorter, comprising a container having a bottom wall and adapted to be tilted into an abnormal position, a plurality of longitudinally extending slots in said wall, a cover for said container, and a partition between each p air of adjacent slots extending upwardly to said cover and having a section of its sides slanting to meet said wall upon alnd adjacent to the opposite sides of said s ots.

3. A pin sorter, comprising a container having a bottom wall and adapted to be tilted into an abnormal position, a longitudinally extending slot in said wall, a depressed lip upon which the head of only the forward pin in the slot drops, and means to yieldingly retain said pin upon said lip.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

FERDINAND R. STROBEL. 

